New Site to Serve as Headquarters for ChargerHelp! While
Supporting the Workforce Development Training Needed for Skilled
Technicians to Diagnose EV Chargers & Repair Non-Electrical
Issues Across the U.S.; Project Made Possible through Funding
Secured by U.S. Representative Kamlager-Dove
LOS
ANGELES, July 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Los
Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) and ChargerHelp! are
proud to announce the launch of the nation's first
multi-manufacturer EV charger reliability training hub. Located in
South Los Angeles, the facility
provides a dedicated space for LACI and ChargerHelp! with dozens of
chargers and equipment dedicated for EVSE charger reliability
training. The new facility will also serve as the Los Angeles headquarters for LACI alumni
company ChargerHelp! as the company continues to scale.
When public EV chargers do not work, 75% of the time the problem
is a non-electrical issue. EVSE repair technicians diagnose and
service chargers by updating firmware or software, resetting the
WiFi, etc. This hub will operate for the next three years to train
and equip reliability maintenance technicians to conduct
non-electrical diagnostics, maintenance, and repair of EV chargers.
The hub will also be made available to other qualified training
providers that need access to such a facility.
Through the leadership of Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), LACI secured
funding from the State of
California for the facility.
"I'm ecstatic for the grand opening of this first-of-its-kind
training center, which will expand good-paying job opportunities
for EV technicians in Los Angeles
and beyond," said Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove. "I was proud
to lead the effort in the state legislature to secure funding for
this workforce hub, and I look forward to continued partnership
with LACI and ChargerHelp! to promote reliable clean transportation
in our communities. Together, we will bring about a more resilient
future for our labor force and our planet."
"I want to commend LACI and ChagerHelp! for their continued work
in moving Los Angeles toward a
greener future," said Mayor Karen
Bass. "This announcement marks an important step toward
ensuring that the local workforce needs for our electrified future
will be met with the urgency, equity and support that they need
while we confront the climate crisis and continue L.A.'s national
leadership on transportation electrification."
"California continues to lead
in clean energy and clean transportation," said Assemblymember
Isaac Bryan. "Our local
innovators like LACI and ChargerHelp! are contributing every day to
building up our sustainable infrastructure. This is important work.
We're creating jobs, fighting climate change, and improving the
conditions of life in our district and beyond."
During a launch event at the new training hub, leaders from LACI
and ChargerHelp! extolled the benefits of this first-of-its-kind
facility:
"As we see more and more EVs on the road and chargers get
installed across our communities, we are very excited to empower
individuals to be trained to ensure chargers work when we need
them," said Matt Petersen, LACI
President and CEO. "Thanks to the support of Congresswoman
Kamlager-Dove, we are excited to open this facility with LACI
portfolio company and now partner, ChargerHelp! Together, we will
support the creation of good paying jobs and continue to set the
conditions to advance our transportation electrification
goals."
"This initiative between ChargerHelp! and LACI marks a major
milestone in advancing EV technology and workforce development,"
said Kameale Terry, CEO of ChargerHelp!. "By launching the
first brand-agnostic training site in the nation–in South Los Angeles, we are not only addressing
the technical needs of the EV industry but also empowering local
communities with valuable skills and job opportunities. This
collaboration signifies ChargerHelp's commitment to innovation,
inclusivity, the sustainable growth of the green economy, and
further development of EV charging infrastructure."
LACI's Transportation Electrification Partnership (TEP), an
unprecedented public-private partnership of local, regional, and
state-level stakeholders committed to accelerating transportation
electrification, has called for 129,000 public and workplace
chargers in the Los Angeles region
by the time of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The new South
LA site will support progress toward that ambitious target and
accelerate the transition to reliable clean transportation.
Since 2019, LACI's flagship workforce development program has
trained 160 participants to repair and maintain EVSE
infrastructure, including all-women and 18-24 year old specific
cohorts. As shared with Yahoo! Finance, Kameale Terry and
Evette Ellis helped LACI create
their first EVSE non-electrical charger reliability workforce
development program in 2019. Soon thereafter, Kameale took part in
LACI's Founders Business Accelerator in 2020 to develop the
concept for ChargerHelp!, and after graduating, joined LACI's
intensive, two-year Incubation program. Kameale and co-founder
Evette were able to pitch their company and introduce,
respectively, Vice President Kamala
Harris at LACI in 2023.
Given space limitations at the world-class, LA Department of
Water and Power-owned La Kretz Innovation Campus that is LACI's
headquarters, the facility will be dedicated to EVSE non-electrical
charger reliability training for LACI, ChargerHelp!, and in the
future other organizations and companies across LA, California, and the U.S. The Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power has generously supported the build
out of this new facility with electrical upgrades.
With equipment onsite from a multitude of manufacturers
(including Dunamis and LACI portfolio companies SparkCharge,
Itselectric, and Xeal), the site will also help overcome the
limitations posed by traditional single-manufacturer EVSE service
training centers located across the
United States, which are run by individual brands and can
only train technicians on their specific technology in small
groups. In a muli-technology environment, technicians will be able
to train across all EVSE equipment at the new South LA
facility.
ABOUT LACI:
The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator
(LACI) is creating an inclusive green economy by unlocking
innovation through scaling cleantech startups, transforming markets
through catalytic partnerships with policymakers, innovators, and
market leaders in transportation, energy, and sustainable cities,
like the Transportation Electrification Partnership, and enhancing
communities through green jobs workforce training, pilots and
other programs. Founded as an economic development initiative by
the City of Los Angeles and its
Department of Water & Power (LADWP) in 2011, LACI is recognized
as one of the top 10 innovative business incubators in the world by
UBI. LACI has helped 422 portfolio companies raise over
$1 billion in funding, generated
$344 million in revenue, and created
2,626 jobs throughout the Los
Angeles region, with a long term economic impact of more
than $587 million.
ABOUT CHARGERHELP!:
ChargerHelp!'s app-based dispatch
and deployment system solves the industry-wide problem of downed
electric vehicle charging stations by providing on-demand repairs
and maintenance support from trained local workforces. This
capability, provided at scale, is essential to support sharp growth
in EV charging infrastructure and dramatically improve efficiency,
turnaround time, and network availability while reducing costs
across the networks. With the ChargerHelp!'s service offering,
partner EV charging owners and operators can meet new service-level
requirements and win new EVSE contracts to meet the exponential
growth in charging demands.
Charging hardware companies that would like to learn more about
using the new facility as a training space can communicate their
interest here.
Media Contact:
Cameron Edinburgh
213.647.1441
cameron@laci.org
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SOURCE LACI